File-holder



memorial.)

W. LUMLEY.

FILE HOLDER.

NOAH/178." Patent edMay 10,1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LUMLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FILE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,478, dated May 10, 1892.

Application filed September 16, 1890- Serial No. 365,172. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LUMLEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britaimand a resident of Chicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in File-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in file-holders in which the follower or compressing-board is supported and guided upon side rails and may be locked or rigidly secured in any adjusted position. In this class of devices, so far as I am aware, it has been customary to have the locking devices co-operate with or gain support from the bottom of the file holder, which proves obj eotionable in practice, because the bottom soon becomes roughened and disfigured under the pressure to which the locking devices are subjected, besides furnishing but an insecure support for the locking devices, which frequently slip thereon, releasing the follower, and thereby endangering the dislodgment or loss of the documents in the file.

The prime object of this invention is to have the follower wholly supported, guided, and locked upon the side rails of the holder, whereby is avoided the necessity for utilizing the bottom of the holder as a support for the locking devices.

Another object is to have locking devices of such a character that they will serve as a guide and support for the follower, whereby simplicity, effectiveness, and economy will be combined in the maximum degree.

These objects are attained by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a file-holder embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section thereof, more clearly showing the construction of one form of the locking devices; and Fig. 3, a detail section showing another form of lock devices.

Similar letters of. reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates the end board; 13, the bottom; C, the guide-rails, and D the follower of any desirable dimensions and configuration usual in devices of this class.

To the back of the follower, extending transversely across the center thereof, is a metallic in downwardly-turned curved jaws H, corresponding with the jaws F, but engaging the side rails on the top side thereof. This bar G is movably secured to the bar E by means of the screws I, working through elongated slots J in the bar G, the screws serving as a guide for the bar and also to limit its movement relative to the bar E.

The jaws F, I denominate the fixed jaws and the jaws II the movable jaws,between which two sets of jaws the guide-rails are clamped, so as to lock the follower in any adj usted position, this movement being accomplished by means of a rotatable cam K, pivotally secured to the fixed bar E at the center of length thereof, with its edge engaging a suitable socket or bearing-surface upon the edge of the bar G,Vthe cam for convenience of manipulation being provided with a lateral thumb-piece L, by means of which the cam may be rotated upon its pivot M in moving the jaws toward and away from each other.

In practice the gravity of the follower will cause the jaws to separate when otherwise uncontrolled by the cam, moving downward and carrying the fixed jaws away from the under side of the guide-rails, as illustrated by the dotted line in Fig. 2, the movable jaws by reason of their slotted connection with the fixed jaws permitting this action, and at the same time serving as a support for suspending the follower upon the guide-rail.

The fixed and movable jaws conjointly serve as a guide for the follower in its movements back and forth, while at the same time furnishing a ready means for locking the follower in any adjusted position.

While the locking devices just described are the preferred form, obviously they may be of different construction and operation without departing from the spirit of my invention. For instance, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the movable jaws F may be formed upon the ends of levers a, pivoted at d to the fixed bar E, with their free ends opposing a push-piece 0, also pivotally secured to the bar E and operated by a rotatable cam cl, which may be turned by a suitable thumb-piece (not shown) to simultaneously depress the free ends of the levers, so as to cause the'movable jaws thereon to grip the guide rails, and thus .secure the follower in any adjusted position.

The essential feature of my invention is looking the follower directly to the side rails, as distinguished from looking it through the medium of devices depending upon the hot tom of the file-holder for their support, and whether the locking devices also subserve the purpose of a guide and support for the follower is immaterial so far as relates to the broad idea of my invention, for obviously the locking-jaws or their equivalent might be separate from the guide and either one or both jaws be movable.

In conclusion I may state that I do not desire to limit myself to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, nor to the relative arrangement of the fixed and movable jaws, for obviously the bar E may be dispensed with and the fixed jaws F, as well as the other operative parts of my device, be secured directly to the follower, and various other modifications may be adopted without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a file-holder, the combination, with the guide-rails and the follower, of fixed jaws and movable jaws, between which the said rails are clamped, and means for operating said movable jaws, substantially as described.

2. In a file-holder, the combination, with the guide-rails and the follower, of the fixed jaws and the movable jaws secured to the follower and the cam for operating said movable jaws, substantially as described.

3. In the file-holder, the combination, with the guide-rails and the follower, of the fixed the guide-rails and the follower, of the bars E and G, provided, respectively, with the jaws F and H, the slotted connection I J between said bars, the rotatable cam K, and thumbpioce L, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM LUMLEY.

Witnesses:

W. R. OMOHUNDRO, R. O. OMOHUNDRO. 

